Ushi No Tane - Harvest Moon

Nobody is ever too old to play HM games. Harvest Moon is never ending, never aging, never done. HM forever...hopefully with fewer glitches and booboos and « What The Eggplant »'s.

Of course the past games are nostalgic and romanticized to the point of ridiculous but we had fun playing them, didn't we? They were all slightly imperfect. Each game had an easy version and then the insanely dedicated version that involved tracking sun/water points on a Excel spreadsheet and drawing maps and plotting the perfect field layout.

But if you let ToTT be your last game that broke the camel's back, then you're doing it wrong. ToTT (I'm still playing it... it's a perfect mindless time waster) is just a little more details than GrB which was easy-peasy HM with everything provided, all you do is make money. Hello, ToTT has a friggin UFO as your storage cart. How HM is THAT??

Just a game franchise we've been playing for over 10 years (wow...10 years!) and I'll keep buying whatever version comes out that will fit in my DS/3DS/next gen of nintendo handhelds. That's just the way it works.

It's a video game, hardly rocket science (well...UFO).

ps. we need camels in HM somehow

[quote="Kuromei"]I sure hope I don't get too old for HM. I've been playing since HM64 and, while I haven't played every single game released, I generally enjoy the games I play. The exception was Sunshine Islands, and that was because I found its crop system to be too complicated and hit-or-miss to get the best-of-the-best. And also the Wonderful system of tool upgrades. HATED that.

All HM games have limited dialogue. That's a given, no matter the system and the era. I mean, I managed to get Vaughn up to a yellow heart before I quit playing, and he was STILL telling me to mind my own business, whenever I spoke to him in the afternoon!

ToTT has it problems, yes, but I have fun with it. I personally get a warm and fuzzy feeling, looking at my wallet in Year 4 and seeing almost 13milG there. Was it too easy to make that money? Maybe. But I didn't break a million until my third year, so I'm not complaining.

It comes down to what you want from a Harvest Moon game. What you expect, versus what you actually get. Do you want a challenge? Do you want it to be difficult to earn money, and difficult to grow the best vegetables you can? Or do you want an easy, cute game, that you can halfway zone-out with and coo over the cuteness of?

I find the easy game calming. Meditative, almost. After the stress of real life, the last thing I want is a game that frustrates me. I'm speaking only for myself, but finding a pattern for your day and trying to run around as efficiently as possible is what I like.[/quote]

Might be a pretty late thing to comment on now, but I really think that you've worded this opinion really good. Mind, I don't go around to coo at the cuteness of anything :lol: , But I play it to just to relax after a long day. If I wanted to try something difficult, I would be playing one of my more tactical games, But what I've always loved about Harvest Moon is the fact that I could just lay back, check on my farm, talk with the locals, and not have to overthink anything about it. I don't have as large of a harvest moon history as the others probably had (My first Harvest Moon had been A Wonderful Life when I was in middle school), but each of my games will always have its strong points and weak points.

Example would be A Wonderful Life. I love that game not only because it was my first, but also because it was a game where my character had a family, grew old, took care of animals and crops, and the story itself wasn't something all that complex: you were just the son of a deceased man who decided to take care of the farm that your father and his best friend bought. [b]BUT[/b] I'm not so infatuated that I'd only compare it's strong points to another Harvest Moon's weak points (I remember how small the place feel). In my own opinion, each Harvest Moon tests out something new (at times its a small something but hey)

A Wonderful Life? Your kid actually grows into adulthood and you look older

Grand Bazaar? You are a farmer who takes the role of a merchent, trying to decided what would best benfit you and your farm each week. And you jump! (that caught me off guard the first time, especially when I heard my character 'Hah!' :lol: )

Tales of Two Towns? You are a farmer of towns that specializes in a certain aspect of farming (animals or crops). The place feels larger the Bazaar and you befriend wild animals to help you out.

That's just name a few at the top of my head. So point being, that's just the way Harvest Moon's feels always been to me. I like seeing what new things they come up with and how well it works (I won't lie; the wonder stones and crop system of island of happiness weren't my most favorite moments :( ) The one thing that has always stayed the same is the simplicity of its farming nature. Maybe some do grow out of it eventually, but I have yet to do so myself.

I sure hope I don't get too old for HM. I've been playing since HM64 and, while I haven't played every single game released, I generally enjoy the games I play. The exception was Sunshine Islands, and that was because I found its crop system to be too complicated and hit-or-miss to get the best-of-the-best. And also the Wonderful system of tool upgrades. HATED that.

All HM games have limited dialogue. That's a given, no matter the system and the era. I mean, I managed to get Vaughn up to a yellow heart before I quit playing, and he was STILL telling me to mind my own business, whenever I spoke to him in the afternoon!

ToTT has it problems, yes, but I have fun with it. I personally get a warm and fuzzy feeling, looking at my wallet in Year 4 and seeing almost 13milG there. Was it too easy to make that money? Maybe. But I didn't break a million until my third year, so I'm not complaining.

It comes down to what you want from a Harvest Moon game. What you expect, versus what you actually get. Do you want a challenge? Do you want it to be difficult to earn money, and difficult to grow the best vegetables you can? Or do you want an easy, cute game, that you can halfway zone-out with and coo over the cuteness of?

I find the easy game calming. Meditative, almost. After the stress of real life, the last thing I want is a game that frustrates me. I'm speaking only for myself, but finding a pattern for your day and trying to run around as efficiently as possible is what I like.

Regarding the original post: It's not just you. I adore the Harvest Moon games... although (with the exception of Animal Parade) I consistently lose some amount of interest after I get married and have a child. And this has less to do with the game play itself, and more to do with something more interesting popping up in my life around the time I invest that much time (roughly the same time it takes to beat a standard RPG, or longer) into my game. But I digress.

I found that Tale of Two Towns just was not a good game! I found the idea of a Harvest Moon game with two completely different towns to be enthralling. I thought for sure that this, combined with the quicker-than-normal passage of time would make for a fast-paced, expansive game in which years would pass by in-game before accomplishing all the various objectives, and there'd be something new to do every day!

But no. Instead, I could easily finish all of my (incredibly limited! by the way) farm work in less than a game hour, socialize with the entire town, cross the mountain, forage all items, catch all fish and insects, socialize with the entire OTHER town, and cross BACK over the mountain, and STILL have time and energy to spare. And this was regardless of which town I lived in. And on that note, moving from one town to the other was way too easy. And really, there was no incentive to live in one over the other. At any point. :\

Maybe I just hyped it up too much in my mind, or maybe it was just a lousy game. In either case, I couldn't even get through one season.

So, no. You're NOT getting too old for Harvest Moon. ToTT was just a sub-standard game for the series.

[quote="CRAVINHO"]In my opinion hm has lost some of its charm over the years.[/quote]
Maybe a little, but I don't think I or anyone else who love hm could every really stop playing. It just too... Something that is easy to love!

In my opinion hm has lost some of its charm over the years.

No matter how old I get, I see myself always virtually farming and ranching. Electronic animals don't make much mess either.

[quote="I <3 Alpacs"]I'm not sure why there seems to be a lot of nostalgia over the older games. Looking back at my Harvest Moon collection, I am impressed by how much things have changed since my first game (Harvest Moon GB). Back then social interactions with other characters was mostly that harvest sprite in the cave, not all the different characters we have now.
Also not too long ago this game wasn't that big on gender equality, girl character couldn't get married without the game ending or players were forced to buy a 2nd game a year later just to play as a girl. The fact that we now have all these different options when playing (new crops, more characters, goals outside of farming, [i]alpacs[i][/i][/i] ) is impressive to me, not disappointing. Each new game that is release has [i]something[i][/i][/i] about it that is a little different from the last. Even after over 10 years playing this series I have yet to get bored with it and I will still be playing these games in the future.[/quote]
:wink: and WHY WOULD YOU QUIT AFTER THEY MAKE LoB?!

I'm not sure why there seems to be a lot of nostalgia over the older games. Looking back at my Harvest Moon collection, I am impressed by how much things have changed since my first game (Harvest Moon GB). Back then social interactions with other characters was mostly that harvest sprite in the cave, not all the different characters we have now.
Also not too long ago this game wasn't that big on gender equality, girl character couldn't get married without the game ending or players were forced to buy a 2nd game a year later just to play as a girl. The fact that we now have all these different options when playing (new crops, more characters, goals outside of farming, [i]alpacs[i][/i][/i] ) is impressive to me, not disappointing. Each new game that is release has [i]something[i][/i][/i] about it that is a little different from the last. Even after over 10 years playing this series I have yet to get bored with it and I will still be playing these games in the future.

[quote="Panda Parfait"][quote="Nurse Fin"]The main (loudest) criticisms I hear are complaints about the characters though, not the gameplay. Most claims of characters being SO DEEP in past games screams nostalgia-ism. Saying the [i]gameplay[/i] isn't as fun in the newer games is fair, but I think there's definitely some out there who put older games on a pedestal when it comes to characterization. Not to say that all HM characters are equal, but most of the games have had their share of standouts and boring characters, and I think it's a rarity to find a character who is terribly exciting in this series. It's a sim game with primary focus on farm development and a secondary focus on social interaction, not a game with a focus on an engaging storyline that explores fictional character trauma and development. I play one of my favorite RPGs if I want something like that.[/quote]
I agree with this. I was one of these people at one point in time, also due to nostalgia. I went back and played a few of the older games and honestly wondered what the hell I had been going on about because they have always been the bland characters who are interested in one or two things that everyone complains about these days. Sure, some games had better characterization than others but in general the quality of characters has been pretty consistent. I feel like a good chunk of players look back on the characters they loved when they were younger as something more than they actually were and now aren't falling for the same tricks HM has always been using.[/quote]
THANK YOU. You saved me from making a speech

[quote="Nurse Fin"]The main (loudest) criticisms I hear are complaints about the characters though, not the gameplay. Most claims of characters being SO DEEP in past games screams nostalgia-ism. Saying the [i]gameplay[/i] isn't as fun in the newer games is fair, but I think there's definitely some out there who put older games on a pedestal when it comes to characterization. Not to say that all HM characters are equal, but most of the games have had their share of standouts and boring characters, and I think it's a rarity to find a character who is terribly exciting in this series. It's a sim game with primary focus on farm development and a secondary focus on social interaction, not a game with a focus on an engaging storyline that explores fictional character trauma and development. I play one of my favorite RPGs if I want something like that.[/quote]
I agree with this. I was one of these people at one point in time, also due to nostalgia. I went back and played a few of the older games and honestly wondered what the hell I had been going on about because they have always been the bland characters who are interested in one or two things that everyone complains about these days. Sure, some games had better characterization than others but in general the quality of characters has been pretty consistent. I feel like a good chunk of players look back on the characters they loved when they were younger as something more than they actually were and now aren't falling for the same tricks HM has always been using.

However, on the gameplay itself I agree that many of the older games are more enjoyable. Ignoring the characters, I personally haven't been able to really get into a HM game since ToT. The games have become kind of calculated lately and they feel like a chore rather than a video game.

[quote="Nurse Fin"]The main (loudest) criticisms I hear are complaints about the characters though, not the gameplay. Most claims of characters being SO DEEP in past games screams nostalgia-ism. Saying the [i]gameplay[/i] isn't as fun in the newer games is fair, but I think there's definitely some out there who put older games on a pedestal when it comes to characterization. Not to say that all HM characters are equal, but most of the games have had their share of standouts and boring characters, and I think it's a rarity to find a character who is terribly exciting in this series. It's a sim game with primary focus on farm development and a secondary focus on social interaction, not a game with a focus on an engaging storyline that explores fictional character trauma and development. I play one of my favorite RPGs if I want something like that.


A lot of people generalize and assume that new characters suck before even playing the game, i.e. saying so-and-so is a "rehash of Popuri because she has pink hair" or whats-her-face is "another Mary clone" or the ugly one is "a mix of Daryl and Skye with some Gotz and Doctor vibes~!". While there are obvious patterns/archetypes in the series, maybe part of the problem is people pushing characters into those stereotypes, and then they can't let go of their preconceived notions of everything being a rehash or clone and so they can no longer appreciate the game for what it is. Same goes for those anime tropes, where suddenly everyone and their mom is defined by what kind of (prefix)-dere they are, and it sucks the life (however much or little it had) out of everything.


(there are also contradictory opinions like, "I want something new, I'm tired of the same characters being used over and over" followed by stuff like "why isn't the Gourmet in this game??? that sucks, it's like it isn't HM anymore" or "I want to see another (game abbreviation)'s (character name)!!!")[/quote]

When it comes to characters, I hear 64, AWL, and sometimes BTN mentioned. STH is another occasional one. There's definitely some streamlining that's apparent with a lot of the newer games though. Walking on crops, stacking items, smaller fields, increased ease(with the exception of IoH/SI which has a very polarizing fanbase). But there are still those who enjoy the charm of the older game's gameplay itself. And those who do enjoy the newer games will often complain about the things like walking on crops and tiny rucksacks. Or that they can't play as a girl and marry a hot bachelor. I agree with you Nurse Fin that the characters are hardly ever anything to cry home about. There are certainly other games that do it far better. I think Harvest Moon holds potential for it but I'd rather not have it sacrifice gameplay for it. Which is the biggest reason I prefer the older games over the newer ones.

I dunno, some of the recents ones haven't quite been up to the series' standards, but I'm still finding them enjoyable enough. And HM seems to be one of the games that someone of almost any age could appreciate. I loved it when I first discovered it in 3rd grade and more than five years later I adore it even more.

The main (loudest) criticisms I hear are complaints about the characters though, not the gameplay. Most claims of characters being SO DEEP in past games screams nostalgia-ism. Saying the [i]gameplay[/i] isn't as fun in the newer games is fair, but I think there's definitely some out there who put older games on a pedestal when it comes to characterization. Not to say that all HM characters are equal, but most of the games have had their share of standouts and boring characters, and I think it's a rarity to find a character who is terribly exciting in this series. It's a sim game with primary focus on farm development and a secondary focus on social interaction, not a game with a focus on an engaging storyline that explores fictional character trauma and development. I play one of my favorite RPGs if I want something like that.


A lot of people generalize and assume that new characters suck before even playing the game, i.e. saying so-and-so is a "rehash of Popuri because she has pink hair" or whats-her-face is "another Mary clone" or the ugly one is "a mix of Daryl and Skye with some Gotz and Doctor vibes~!". While there are obvious patterns/archetypes in the series, maybe part of the problem is people pushing characters into those stereotypes, and then they can't let go of their preconceived notions of everything being a rehash or clone and so they can no longer appreciate the game for what it is. Same goes for those anime tropes, where suddenly everyone and their mom is defined by what kind of (prefix)-dere they are, and it sucks the life (however much or little it had) out of everything.


(there are also contradictory opinions like, "I want something new, I'm tired of the same characters being used over and over" followed by stuff like "why isn't the Gourmet in this game??? that sucks, it's like it isn't HM anymore" or "I want to see another (game abbreviation)'s (character name)!!!")

I went back and regularly played the older games along with the newer games. I still believe the older games to be of higher quality. =/ The gameboy games aren't too great but just about all of the other titles. Of course, I actually like the games up until about anything before AP. Either way, I hardly think trying to negate everyone's opinion to nostalgia to everyone who thinks the older are of higher quality isn't all that fair. Could essentially argue that those who only like the newer games are a bunch of casuals who need their game streamlined for their enjoyment. Tis just not very cool.